WASHINGTON, July 1—Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Legislative & Political Affairs Kristen Swearingen today issued the following statement on the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, by a vote of 233 to 188:

“While ABC agrees with the need for a substantial transportation infrastructure package, this bill includes harmful policies that will be detrimental to our nation’s ability to effectively and efficiently rebuild and modernize its infrastructure. By requiring anti-competitive provisions, such as government-mandated project labor agreements and inflationary Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, this bill will dissuade contractors from bidding on projects, drive up overall costs and exclude the overwhelming majority of America’s construction industry professionals who choose not to join a union. These measures would also have a devastating impact on small construction businesses that are seeking to recover from the ongoing health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19. The path forward on repairing our nation’s infrastructure should be rooted in fair and open competition and equal opportunity, not policies that favor big labor and costly, ineffective federal mandates.”